Linux KernelOperating system · Linux

CVE-2025-38246

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-07-09

Fix available

A fix is available. Upgrade to 6.6.97 / 6.12.36 or later.

See remediation →

57/100

Remediation priority · Elevated

Zero-click Patch available

Official description

NVD · unedited

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: bnxt: properly flush XDP redirect lists We encountered following crash when testing a XDP_REDIRECT feature in production: [56251.579676] list_add corruption. next->prev should be prev (ffff93120dd40f30), but was ffffb301ef3a6740. (next=ffff93120dd 40f30). [56251.601413] ------------[ cut here ]------------ [56251.611357] kernel BUG at lib/list_debug.c:29! [56251.621082] Oops: invalid opcode: 0000 [#1] PREEMPT SMP NOPTI [56251.632073] CPU: 111 UID: 0 PID: 0 Comm: swapper/111 Kdump: loaded Tainted: P O 6.12.33-cloudflare-2025.6. 3 #1 [56251.653155] Tainted: [P]=PROPRIETARY_MODULE, [O]=OOT_MODULE [56251.663877] Hardware name: MiTAC GC68B-B8032-G11P6-GPU/S8032GM-HE-CFR, BIOS V7.020.B10-sig 01/22/2025 [56251.682626] RIP: 0010:__list_add_valid_or_report+0x4b/0xa0 [56251.693203] Code: 0e 48 c7 c7 68 e7 d9 97 e8 42 16 fe ff 0f 0b 48 8b 52 08 48 39 c2 74 14 48 89 f1 48 c7 c7 90 e7 d9 97 48 89 c6 e8 25 16 fe ff <0f> 0b 4c 8b 02 49 39 f0 74 14 48 89 d1 48 c7 c7 e8 e7 d9 97 4c 89 [56251.725811] RSP: 0018:ffff93120dd40b80 EFLAGS: 00010246 [56251.736094] RAX: 0000000000000075 RBX: ffffb301e6bba9d8 RCX: 0000000000000000 [56251.748260] RDX: 0000000000000000 RSI: ffff9149afda0b80 RDI: ffff9149afda0b80 [56251.760349] RBP: ffff9131e49c8000 R08: 0000000000000000 R09: ffff93120dd40a18 [56251.772382] R10: ffff9159cf2ce1a8 R11: 0000000000000003 R12: ffff911a80850000 [56251.784364] R13: ffff93120fbc7000 R14: 0000000000000010 R15: ffff9139e7510e40 [56251.796278] FS: 0000000000000000(0000) GS:ffff9149afd80000(0000) knlGS:0000000000000000 [56251.809133] CS: 0010 DS: 0000 ES: 0000 CR0: 0000000080050033 [56251.819561] CR2: 00007f5e85e6f300 CR3: 00000038b85e2006 CR4: 0000000000770ef0 [56251.831365] PKRU: 55555554 [56251.838653] Call Trace: [56251.845560] <IRQ> [56251.851943] cpu_map_enqueue.cold+0x5/0xa [56251.860243] xdp_do_redirect+0x2d9/0x480 [56251.868388] bnxt_rx_xdp+0x1d8/0x4c0 [bnxt_en] [56251.877028] bnxt_rx_pkt+0x5f7/0x19b0 [bnxt_en] [56251.885665] ? cpu_max_write+0x1e/0x100 [56251.893510] ? srso_alias_return_thunk+0x5/0xfbef5 [56251.902276] __bnxt_poll_work+0x190/0x340 [bnxt_en] [56251.911058] bnxt_poll+0xab/0x1b0 [bnxt_en] [56251.919041] ? srso_alias_return_thunk+0x5/0xfbef5 [56251.927568] ? srso_alias_return_thunk+0x5/0xfbef5 [56251.935958] ? srso_alias_return_thunk+0x5/0xfbef5 [56251.944250] __napi_poll+0x2b/0x160 [56251.951155] bpf_trampoline_6442548651+0x79/0x123 [56251.959262] __napi_poll+0x5/0x160 [56251.966037] net_rx_action+0x3d2/0x880 [56251.973133] ? srso_alias_return_thunk+0x5/0xfbef5 [56251.981265] ? srso_alias_return_thunk+0x5/0xfbef5 [56251.989262] ? __hrtimer_run_queues+0x162/0x2a0 [56251.996967] ? srso_alias_return_thunk+0x5/0xfbef5 [56252.004875] ? srso_alias_return_thunk+0x5/0xfbef5 [56252.012673] ? bnxt_msix+0x62/0x70 [bnxt_en] [56252.019903] handle_softirqs+0xcf/0x270 [56252.026650] irq_exit_rcu+0x67/0x90 [56252.032933] common_interrupt+0x85/0xa0 [56252.039498] </IRQ> [56252.044246] <TASK> [56252.048935] asm_common_interrupt+0x26/0x40 [56252.055727] RIP: 0010:cpuidle_enter_state+0xb8/0x420 [56252.063305] Code: dc 01 00 00 e8 f9 79 3b ff e8 64 f7 ff ff 49 89 c5 0f 1f 44 00 00 31 ff e8 a5 32 3a ff 45 84 ff 0f 85 ae 01 00 00 fb 45 85 f6 <0f> 88 88 01 00 00 48 8b 04 24 49 63 ce 4c 89 ea 48 6b f1 68 48 29 [56252.088911] RSP: 0018:ffff93120c97fe98 EFLAGS: 00000202 [56252.096912] RAX: ffff9149afd80000 RBX: ffff9141d3a72800 RCX: 0000000000000000 [56252.106844] RDX: 00003329176c6b98 RSI: ffffffe36db3fdc7 RDI: 0000000000000000 [56252.116733] RBP: 0000000000000002 R08: 0000000000000002 R09: 000000000000004e [56252.126652] R10: ffff9149afdb30c4 R11: 071c71c71c71c71c R12: ffffffff985ff860 [56252.136637] R13: 00003329176c6b98 R14: 0000000000000002 R15: 0000000000000000 [56252.146667] ? cpuidle_enter_state+0xab/0x420 [56252.153909] cpuidle_enter+0x2d/0x40 [56252.160360] do_idle+0x176/0x1c0 [56252.166456 ---truncated---

Technical summary

dbcve analysis

A detailed technical summary for this CVE is being prepared.

Affected products & versions

NVD · CPE data

Linux KernelOperating system

Affected:>= 5.19, < 6.6.97>= 6.7, < 6.12.36>= 6.13, < 6.15.5= 6.16

CVSS breakdown

From the vector

Attack vector: Local
Complexity: Low
Privileges: Low
User interaction: None
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality: None
Integrity: None
Availability: High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

Remediation

dbcve · scoped

Upgrade available Upgrade to 6.6.97 / 6.12.36 / 6.15.5 or later

Fixed in 6.6.976.12.366.15.5

Vendor patch git.kernel.org →

Recommended fix High confidence

Linux Kernel 6.6.97, 6.12.36, or 6.15.5 (whichever falls within your current branch)

Identify the current Linux kernel version using 'uname -r'
Determine the appropriate upgrade path based on your current kernel version branch
Upgrade to a fixed kernel version: 6.6.97+ (for 5.19-6.6.x), 6.12.36+ (for 6.7-6.12.x), 6.15.5+ (for 6.13-6.15.x), or any version > 6.16
Use your distribution's package manager to install the updated kernel (e.g., apt-get update && apt-get install linux-image-* for Debian/Ubuntu, or yum/dnf update kernel for RHEL/CentOS)
Reboot the system to load the new kernel
Verify the fix is applied by checking 'uname -r' shows a fixed version and confirming the bnxt driver loads without errors

Caveat Kernel upgrades may require rebooting and could have compatibility implications with custom kernel modules or specific hardware configurations

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

We can perform the upgrade in your staging environment and verify nothing breaks — typical engagement from $1,600. Get the upgrade done

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally

dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2025-38246 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

References

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2025-38246 in production — separate from our analysis above.

Notes0 Guidelines

Know something about CVE-2025-38246?

The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.

The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
A config change or rule that shut the vector down
A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here

Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data

At a glance

A fix existsUpgrade to 6.6.97 / 6.12.36 or later

Severity 5.5 Medium

Exploit likelihood EPSS, next 30 days 0.3%

Affects: Linux Kernel

Remediation

Need this fixed?

Get a fix

Estimated effortfrom ~9 hrs

ComplexityModerate

Typical engagementfrom $1,600

What a fix involves

We scope it with you and confirm a fixed quote
A specialist builds a reviewed fix
You deploy it to staging first
Optional re-test once it’s live

We specialise in CVE remediation. Send your environment and we’ll scope CVE-2025-38246 and return a fixed quote.

You’ll deal with our team directly and deploy the reviewed fix to staging first — never straight to production.

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

Scan for this in your stack

References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Practitioner notes

No notes yet

Official description

Technical summary

Affected products & versions

CVSS breakdown

Remediation

References